big brother

noun

1

: an older brother

2

: a man who serves as a companion, father figure, and role model for a boy

3

Big Brother [Big Brother, personification of the power of the state in 1984 (1949) by George Orwell]

a

: the leader of an authoritarian state or movement

b

: an all-powerful government or organization monitoring and directing people's actions

Examples of big brother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tim was a fiercely, cheerfully competitive kid—whether playing board games with his two older sisters or every sport under the sun with his big brothers. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2026

Georgie & Mandy, of course, now tells big brother Georgie's story. —Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Feb. 2026

As far as practicality goes, its big brother, the RX Hybrid, is the better-selling Lexus model for a reason. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026

Last June, Paris and his big brother Dylan, 28, made their big-screen debut in their dad's Western, The Holy Trinity. —Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for big brother

• another
• godmother
• grandmother
• stepbrother
• stepmother
• mother
• nother
• other
• smother
• souther